In the past, numerous methods and devices have been suggested and used to improve the fuel economy of internal combustion engines. As technology has advanced the devices and methods have become more sophisticated. Improvements in fuel economy have spanned almost every component associated with the operation of a vehicle. For example, lubricants that make pistons operate more efficiently have been continuously improved, leading to greater fuel efficiency while driving.
Another approach has been to use electronic devices to efficiently control fuel intake into firing chambers. Cornacchia, U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,577, provides a device that senses the speed of a vehicle. When the vehicle's speed drops below a preset speed, the engine is stopped and when the vehicle's speed is raised above the preset speed, the engine starts up again. This device provides fuel economy during the period of time when the engine is turned off, but may use more fuel each time the engine is started up again.
Currently, there are no devices which take advantage of the lower idle speed of an engine when an engine is put into neutral gear. In principal, a consumer can improve fuel economy by shifting their gear into neutral while in an idling situation. However such action is not automatic for most vehicle drivers.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need to provide improved automatic gear shifting devices and methods thereof for vehicles to provide better fuel economy. This invention provides devices for automatically shifting vehicles from drive gear into neutral gear when a brake is engaged. The resulting action results in improved fuel economy.